Our Ecological Footprint is how much we demand from nature. Currently, humanity is using the equivalent of 1.7 planets.

Every year, Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day. It marks the date when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2018, it falls on August 1st.

You can think about this as a bank account. For the first 7 months and 1 day in 2018, we lived on our regular salary, after that we start chipping into our savings or racking up credit card debt. Hmm, seems like there is something wrong with that math.

The Ecological Footprint measures how much land and water area we need to produce the resources we use, things like food, land for settlements, timber, seafood, and to absorb the wastes and carbon dioxide we generate.

Our biocapacity is the amount of biologically productive areas such as forests, fishing grounds, crop and grazing areas that are available to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. We can compare Footprint and biocapacity to see if we are well balanced or not.

Why do we care about humanity’s Ecological Footprint?

The costs of ecological overspending are evident every day in the form of deforestation, drought, biodiversity loss and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Ecological overspending also can put nations at more economic risk. Without sufficient resources, it is hard to operate an economy. Or we have to import more which has costs as well.

Carbon emissions from fossil fuel use are a big part of today’s Footprint. Today, humanity’s carbon footprint makes up 60% of the world’s total Ecological Footprint.

In fact, you can even calculate the date of your own Overshoot Day, the day when the world would go into ecological overshoot if everyone on the planet lived like you. If your Overshoot Day falls before August 1st, that means your Ecological Footprint is larger than the world average.

You can learn more about sustainability solutions by joining the Earth Overshoot Day #movethedate campaign. Make steps to take actions to move back the date of Earth Overshoot Day and share pledges and the calculator with your friends and family.

If we can move the date of Overshoot Day 5 days per year, we will be living sustainably on our one planet Earth by 2050.

Earth Overshoot Day 2018 falls on August 1st

Happy Earth Overshoot Day! There is nothing happy about it really. In 2018, Earth Overshoot Day falls on August 1, the earliest day ever! Never heard of Earth Overshoot Day? Or the Ecological Footprint? This video explains it briefly with illustrations. If you eat to help, please join the #movethedate campaign to move back the day of ecological overshoot.

Our Ecological Footprint is how much we demand from nature. Currently, humanity is using the equivalent of 1.7 planets.

Every year, Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day. It marks the date when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2000, Earth Overshoot day fell in late September and in 2018 it falls on August 1st.

This video was created in collaboration with Global Footprint Network, an international think tank that coordinates research, develops methodological standards and provides decision-makers with tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.

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Sustainability Illustrated offers short engaging videos to learn about and teach the principles of sustainable development. Our goal is to change the world by making the best sustainability knowledge out there available to all for free in a fun and engaging format. Sustainability Illustrated is a projet of AM Creative Inc. For customized videos, please visit amcreative.org.